Various training devices have been designed in an attempt to improve the shooting accuracy of athletes in sporting events such as basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, football, tennis, etc. At least two types of shooting aids have been proposed. The first type of shooting aid causes the game piece, i.e., the basketball, soccer ball, hockey puck, lacrosse ball, tennis ball, etc., to miss or deflect away from the goal when it is improperly shot thus allowing only highly accurate and desirable shots to score. The second type of shooting aid provides a visual target for the player to aim and shoot at when shooting at the goal.
One area in which many shooting aid devices have been attempted is basketball. One example of a basketball practice device which operates by deflecting shots with undesirable trajectories is U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,915 to Woodcock. This patent has as its principal object a device which will deflect shots having a flat trajectory and encourage shooters to place a higher arc or trajectory on a shot. The Woodcock device has a C-ring adapted to attach to the basketball hoop with a plurality of radially, laterally extending legs which extend outwardly from the hoop about four to six inches. A free-standing member is mounted on each leg which projects at least about two to four inches over the rim. The free-standing member is positioned to deflect basketball shots having undesirable trajectories. The object and purpose of the free-standing members are for the shooter to aim and shoot over the free-standing members so that the shooter develops a high arcing shot. The disadvantage of this device is that it does not provide a visual target or focus point for the player to aim at when shooting the basketball. A further disadvantage is that a shooter may improperly focus on and subconsciously aim at the free-standing member which will have the undesirable effect of teaching poor shooting. In addition, this device does not provide positive reenforcement when the player makes a proper shot, but rather it only indicates when the player has made an improper shot having a low, flat trajectory.
An example of the second type of shooting aid which provides a target is U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,569 to Wong which discloses a target in the form of a brightly colored ball which extends from the backboard at a position substantially immediately below and at the center of the basketball hoop. This apparatus has disadvantages in that the target is not easily visible in its position immediately below the rim and in the center of the hoop.
A differing example of the second type of practice shooting aid is U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,886 to Lamb, Sr. which discloses a basketball practice apparatus which extends from the backboard at a position above the rim and at the center of the hoop area. This basketball shooting apparatus has disadvantages inasmuch as the structure of the holding apparatus for the target impedes upon the utilization of the backboard and prevents utilizing the apparatus in a scrimmage or game situation.
Another example of the second type of shooting aid is U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,495 to Novek. In one embodiment, Noveck discloses two collars which fit together to form a torodial enclosure which is attached to the rim of a basketball hoop. A rod (pivot shaft) traverses an aperture formed in the side wall of one of the collars and two support arms connect adjacent to and extend substantially perpendicular from the ends of the rod (pivot shaft), a two-dimensional planar target attaches to and spans the distance between the two support arms and a spring positioned around the support arms (and retained by the collar) allows the target face to move and be repositioned. A second embodiment of Noveck discloses a similar rod (pivot shaft), support arm and target construction with a fastening device which attaches to the basketball rim and has a flange which extends from the structure in contact with the rim and forms an opening to receive and attach to the mid-section of the rod (pivot shaft). Noveck discloses that the target can be placed at an angle relative to the ground which can accommodate relatively flat or high-arched shots.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a practice device which can be attached to a basketball hoop and other sporting event goals and aids in teaching players proper aim and shooting/kicking techniques. It is a further object of the invention to present a visual target which displays a clearly visible aiming or focus point. It is a further object of the invention to provide positive feedback to the player so that the player can perceive when he/she has taken a proper shot. It is a further object of the invention that the target deflect upon impact with the basketball or other game piece in a manner which does not substantially deflect or alter the path or trajectory of the basketball or other game piece.
It is a further object of the invention that the device be configured and attachable to a basketball hoop or sporting event goal in a manner which does not interfere with play such that a scrimmage or game can be played with the target device attached to the hoop or goal. It is a further object of the invention to attach the device as unobtrusively as possible to limit the possibility of interrupting the trajectory of the basketball or game piece or the possibility of unexpected ricochet or bouncing. It is a further object of the invention to configure and adapt the device so that "dunking" of the basketball can still occur so that game-play can be as normal and realistic as possible. It is a further object of the invention to adapt and configure the device such that the possibility of hand injury during dunks or rebound tip-ins is minimized. It is a further object of the invention to configure the device so that it can attach to standard as well as non-standard or reinforced basketball hoops, common in public basketball courts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide positive feedback in the form of flashing or blinking lights, alone or in combination with a pleasing sound generated from an audio means.
It is a further object of the invention to attach the device to the hoop such that it does not damage the hoop or goal over time by marking or deforming the rim/goal or chipping the paint. It is also an object of the invention to provide a basketball practice shooting device for improving shooting accuracy which utilizes a target positioned above the front of the rim to present an unobscured aiming or focus point for the shooter. It is an object of the basketball shooting aid device to teach the shooter to place his/her shots just above the front of the basketball rim. It is a still further object that, while the device may be attached to the goal during scrimmage or game play, after consistent usage an image or illusion of the target should or may appear to the player without the target practice apparatus actually in place.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein different embodiments are set forth by way of illustration.